C15 Questions....... step inside!!!

[rgordon212]

Ok, this is my 2nd kitty and 1st C15 motor.
It is a 2005 Model with twin turbo and 435hp (motor rated to 466)

My issue is this thing is a POOCH!!!!
It wont climb and damn hill worth a sh*t with only 32K in the box. I thought it might be it needed a new fuel filter so I had Petro do a PM on it, but still no change.
I have an appointment at my local CAT dealer to have it put on the dyno to see whats up since it's still under warranty......

Anyone else have this problem or know if this is common on these engines?

My other is a 1989 Model Mechanical and it's built quite heavily, but I still think this truck should get up and go... i mean at 32K in the box it takes me about 1/2 mile to 3/4mile to get it up to 60mph from a roll on an on-ramp.

Also, I have though maybe the rear ratio and final drive ratio might have something to do with it??
3.36 rears and a 0.90 final drive in 10th.....

Also, this truck is averaging about 5.8-6.2mpg I might as well be driving the Pete at this point.

[rank]

>It is a 2005 Model with twin turbo and 435hp (motor rated to 466)
We just bought one of these last week. T2000, 13 speed, 3.6X rear IIRC, C15 Acert TT. 350,000 miles. Not sure what teh Hp is yet. We got it to replace a 2001 T2000, 13 speed, C15, 3.9X rear.

I always thought our '01 was a gutless POS too. Never liked it. Lazy, lazy motor.

>Also, this truck is averaging about 5.8-6.2mpg I might as well be driving the Pete at this point.
Yep. We have a driver in our '01 and granted he drives too fast....70 - 75 mph but he gets 5.9 on a good day in the summer. That's running SB on I-81 through Ny & PA @ 80,000 gross and NB at 35,000.

I've never heard anyone brag about fuel mileage in a T2000 or one of those ugly aero peter cars either.

Allan will be along here shortly to say that Cats are great and there is somethin' wrong with our trucks. IIRC he has a C13 tho.

[BigDiesel]

Ok, this is my 2nd kitty and 1st C15 motor.
It is a 2005 Model with twin turbo and 435hp (motor rated to 466)

My issue is this thing is a POOCH!!!!
It wont climb and damn hill worth a sh*t with only 32K in the box. I thought it might be it needed a new fuel filter so I had Petro do a PM on it, but still no change.
I have an appointment at my local CAT dealer to have it put on the dyno to see whats up since it's still under warranty......

Anyone else have this problem or know if this is common on these engines?

My other is a 1989 Model Mechanical and it's built quite heavily, but I still think this truck should get up and go... i mean at 32K in the box it takes me about 1/2 mile to 3/4mile to get it up to 60mph from a roll on an on-ramp.

Also, I have though maybe the rear ratio and final drive ratio might have something to do with it??
3.36 rears and a 0.90 final drive in 10th.....

Also, this truck is averaging about 5.8-6.2mpg I might as well be driving the Pete at this point.

Those bastardized bridge motors are garbage...... No wonder Cat is out of the highway motor biz.....

[solo379]

Those bastardized bridge motors are garbage...... No wonder Cat is out of the highway motor biz.....

It's not a "bridge". It's ACERT.
My is 2005 too. Actually, engine build in march 2004. 475-1850 13(0.73) 3.55 24.5lp.
With 44,000 in a box, I'd split top gear couple times on I-80 from NJ to OH. And that's no pushing. The worst MPG, i ever got was 6.3 mpg, with the average lifetime, a bit over 7mpg.
So i tend to believe, there is definitely something wrong with that performance....

[rank]

It's not a "bridge". It's ACERT.
My is 2005 too. Actually, engine build in march 2004. 475-1850 13(0.73) 3.55 24.5lp.
With 44,000 in a box, I'd split top gear couple times on I-80 from NJ to OH. And that's no pushing. The worst MPG, i ever got was 6.3 mpg, with the average lifetime, a bit over 7mpg.
So i tend to believe, there is definitely something wrong with that performance....

maybe I was wrong. I guess I was thinking of solo that had the Acert. I'm always getting you two mixed up.

[Jackrabbit379]

I like kitty CAT, but the later models arent all that hot. I like the older CATs better than the newer ones. Like the one in that blue 359 in my avatar. That one has a 425 CAT. 15 speed, and it will burn a hole in the wind. Dont matter how much you got in that hopper bottom, you dont ever know it's back there.
(By the way. That's not my truck It belongs to a friend of mine)

[sidman82]

My C-15 is 2003 pre-emision, 500hp. 3.7 ratio. Does pretty good. No complaints. 5.5 to 6.5 mpg. 13spd. Must split gears. There is no other way. I do not ever want a 10 spd. 13, 15, or 18spd is the only way to go. Unless you only drive on flat roads.

I think your gears are to tall for the hills. 3.7 or 3.9 for the hills. If your going to be running PA, NY hills, you should have the gears swapped out. My is not a twin screw either.

My next road truck will have 3.55.
If I can find someone to buy my daycab.

[Jumbo]

My last Pete was an 05. 475 with an 18 speed and 3.9 rears. Had plenty of power, And that was grossing 90,000 pounds 11 months of the year. There maybe something wrong with it and it needs a tune up.

[mike3fan]

10 speed w/3.36's thats why,it's cruising truck not a jackrabbit starter or puller.

[rgordon212]

Yeah thats kind of what i was thinking....

it's NOT an ACERT engine, just a plain old c-15
It's got an autoshift 10speed and it's in an International....

I'm mainly disapointed in the MPG, i honestly expected better.

My 05 Pete I bought as a glider and put a older mech kitty in it with a 13 and 3.70 rears and avg is around 5.8mpg

Hell, even my 99 Freightliner got 6.5mpg or better and that was with a 430 DET, straight 10speed, 3.90 rears and a flat-top truck pulling van trailer.... then again I never went over 60mph because she was already screeming at 1500rpm's.

Well, the International is paid for, and I only run the south in the winter (TX, AL, AR, NM, MS, FL, GA) but in the summer it's all flatland for me and hometime++++

Thanks for the input, I will update if I find anything else out.

[solo379]

it's NOT an ACERT engine, just a plain old c-15
It's got an autoshift 10speed and it's in an International....

It is an ACERT.
In October 2002 CAT stopped making "plain old c-15", and started to make "bridge", which was almost the same, but from what I've heard, worse version.
After October 2003, they started making ACERT(twin turbo)....

[TruckerChris]

I have the same engine as you along with those 3.36 gear but I have a 13spd. It's a fine gear setup to cruise through the midwest at 65+mph and still get good fuel mileage, but as soon I hit even the slightest incline, I lose a tone of speed and have to eventually shift. A couple weeks ago I was climbing cabbage with 43,000lbs and even a heavy hauler passed me... When I decided to run the west coast only, I'm going to regear this truck for sure.

[Musicman]

>I've never heard anyone brag about fuel mileage in a T2000 or one of those ugly aero peter cars either.

Okay, you asked for it: 6.9 mpg lifetime average in one of those "ugly aero peter cars".

[rgordon212]

It is an ACERT.
In October 2002 CAT stopped making "plain old c-15", and started to make "bridge", which was almost the same, but from what I've heard, worse version.
After October 2003, they started making ACERT(twin turbo)....

Oh, really?????

I thought the ACERT motors said ACERT on the valve covers? My buddies 2006 Pete does, this one does not? I dont know, but I do know it gets ****ty fuel mileage and does not pull worth a crap.

[rgordon212]

I have the same engine as you along with those 3.36 gear but I have a 13spd. It's a fine gear setup to cruise through the midwest at 65+mph and still get good fuel mileage, but as soon I hit even the slightest incline, I lose a tone of speed and have to eventually shift. A couple weeks ago I was climbing cabbage with 43,000lbs and even a heavy hauler passed me... When I decided to run the west coast only, I'm going to regear this truck for sure.

Yep, i have been running Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama for the last month and am getting about 5.5mpg in this. I just got back home to the midwest today and averaged 7.1mpg from El Paso to Chicago

But again, the loss of power sucks bigtime.

But once I drop out of the 10th into 9th, it dont matter what I'm climbing it will hold it's speed.... guess this is typical with these motors...

All i know is when i was pulling 32K in the Pete, I could run in 13th and never have to downshift over many hills.

[mike3fan]

But once I drop out of the 10th into 9th, it dont matter what I'm climbing it will hold it's speed.... guess this is typical with these motors...

it's more about the gearing and not the motor.

[rgordon212]

it's more about the gearing and not the motor.

Yeah, it's a different world comming out of a 700hp Mech CAT/13spd/3.90's to a 435 ACERT CAT/auto-10/3.36, just got to get used to this pooch.